Devonshire Cougars are the last top flight team to have their name etched on the Martonmere Cup.

From next season the Martonmere competition will exist as a new knockout tournament for the ten teams that will make up the newly-created Professional Development League – designed to accommodate players between the ages of 17 and 23.

The Dudley Eve is moving too, from its Christmas spot to the start of the season, when the top six teams will compete for the trophy but using the old Martonmere round-robin format.

There will still be a Christmas break, however, with Bermuda Football Association looking to reprise the policy of bringing in international teams to play over the holidays.

"There was a time when we had international football over Christmas, and it was only recently that we stepped away from that," said BFA General Secretary David Sabir.

"As we did before, club teams, maybe league champions, or cup winners, will get to play the visiting team, as well as the national team playing them."

These games are likely to be played on the traditional holiday dates of Boxing Day and New Year's Day.

Next season is slowly taking shape, and Sabir announced a raft of changes yesterday as the governing body continues to implement the five-year strategic plan it has agreed upon with the member clubs.

As well as the changes to the Martonmere and Dudley Eve, the FA Cup is changing as well with games up to and including the quarter-finals going to a replay if the scores are level after 90 minutes. The semi-finals and final will go to extra-time and penalties without a replay.

The expected changes to the First Division are also expected to be confirmed soon with the league due to have 11 teams when the season starts sometime in September. The largely expected inclusion of MR Onions and Robin Hood is likely to be confirmed at the next Congress meeting later this month.

"The Association can officially report that the Executive Council will recommend to the Congress during a special meeting called for this month to consider the acceptance of the two applicant teams," said Sabir.

First Division clubs will also have their cup competitions changed with teams this season only contesting the Friendship Trophy and FA Cup.

Improvement is the driving force behind the strategic plan with a focus on creating a leaner and meaner game on the Island. While this means that some players will eventually be lost to the game, the hope is that the best players will rise to the top, so improving the sport on the Island.

Creating the PDL, according to the BFA, was crucial to that aim, and ten teams – Southampton Rangers, PHC, North Village, Devonshire Rec, St George's, Wolves, Somerset, St David's, X Roads, Boulevard, and FC Bascome – have signed up for the new division.

In addition, the new over-30s Masters League has 14 teams – Dandy Town, North Village Rams, Somerset Extros, PHC Raiders, St George's All-Stars, Hamilton Parish, Devonshire Rec, Devonshire Colts All-Stars, Boulevard, X'Roads Warriors, Dockyard Falcons, Wolves, Southampton Rangers and YMSC.

"The Association sees the PDL as fundamentally important in the goal of retaining and increasing the number of participants in the game," said Sabir. "Historically, those players who are no longer eligable to play under-17, or under-18 football, and are not yet ready or capable of playing for the first team, drop out of football.

"We hope the development programme will inspire players to play football for a longer period of time. Similarly with the Masters League, we hope it will extend the careers of those players who are past their prime, while also giving the youth players the chance to see and talk to role models who once graced the playing field."